Key discussion areas:

The session will highlight

• the major digital transformation projects and initiatives that are on-going in OECS across the economic and social sectors.
• The activities across digital transformation themes such as digital enabling environment, digital infrastructure, platforms and services and digital skills and technology adoption.

Takeaways

Attendees will receive a high-level understanding of the broad matrix of on-going activities which will open a discussion around the indigenous capacity required in all areas to implement and sustain the digitalization agenda of the region.

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways:

Participants will be able to glean insights on how The UWI Five Islands School for Science, Computing and Artificial Intelligence is designed to

• serve as the region’s “Artificial Intelligence Nerve Epicenter” to support research conducted throughout the region and develop sustainable AI  solutions to the following challenges. - climate change and adaptation; sustainability; catastrophic natural disasters; threats to biodiversity; skills modernization; feeding a growing population; water quality,  biotechnology, clean energy, the blue economy and ocean governance
• train a new generation of tech entrepreneurs visionaries to align regional interest and design solutions for current and future challenges.
• take advantage of the pace and scope of groundbreaking scientific and technological advances in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Big Data Analytics, Robotics, Cybersecurity, FinTech,  Cyberinfrastructure Protection Systems, Biotechnology, Clean Energy and Biometrics through education, and research.

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways:

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways:

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways:

Objective:

To discuss the future of work, with a particular emphasis on the jobs, skills, attitudes and competencies that will become crucial over the next decade, as we try to realize the Sustainable Development Goals, whilst also attending to the needs and imperatives emerging from the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways

From the masterclass, participants ought to leave having some insight into:

• Key trends in the future of work
• Crucial jobs and skills within the context of the 4th Industrial Revolution
• Attitudes and competencies essential for the workplace of tomorrow
• The balance between sustainable development and the 4th Industrial Revolution
• Recommendations on how Caribbean countries can better position themselves, and their citizens, for the future.

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways

From the masterclass, participants ought to leave having some insight into:

1. What is DCash?  A brief description of DCash
2. Why DCash? A brief overview of the objectives behind the development and implementation of DCash as a payment option.
3. The main features of DCash.  Highlighting the key features of DCash as a payment instrument
4. How can DCash be used?  P2P, P2B, B2B and an overview of the payment process.
5. What are the benefits of DCash?  How can DCash further the development of the ECCU and what is the role of DCash in the transformational agenda?

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways:

Partnerships have long been a feature of human civilization. It is at the core of families; it is the driver for business growth; and it is the enabler of governments. In fact, it is impossible to consider sustainable development of any kind without the yoking of complementary capabilities, knowledge and experiences. The pace of development in the Caribbean has long been defined by the degree to which its people, its business and governments have been able to forge and sustain effective partnerships. However, by most objective measures, that pace has not been adequate to full deliver on long held Caribbean goals and aspirations. Still, the need for more partnerships and collaboration has never been more urgent. This Master Class looks the role of strategic partnerships in accelerating the advance of Caribbean Digital Development. It explores practical regional examples of how have and can be used to overcome longstanding challenges and open new opportunities for regional advance.

Key Discussion Areas

The Master Class will move from the theoretical to the practical beginning with a short discussion on the concept of diaspora followed by a categorization of the kinds of contributions diasporas make and finally an exploration of approaches and tools toward engagement. A through-line of the class will be the role of technology in supporting the empowerment of diaspora as developmental actors and how actors can exploit these.

Key Takeaways:

• Diaspora communities are fluid and heterogeneous.
• The contributions of diaspora go far beyond remittances and other financial transfers if given the opportunity.
• Digital tools facilitate these contributions in a number of ways from allowing diaspora to remain more connected to concretely permitting engagement through telemedicine or digital financial transfers.
• Trust is fundamental and all actors must be listened to and respected in order to foster strong resilient relations and create space for diasporas to reach their full potential as agents of sustainable development.

Key Discussion Areas:

The Caribbean is currently at the doorstep of the future of work. The pandemic has caused the most dramatic economic decline in our history and our future hinges on timely responses. We are facing a widening digital divide, a lack of capacity and traditional industries, severely challenged by the effects of the impact. We must lean aggressively into the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Key Takeaways:

The masterclass will address new approaches to entrepreneurship and digital education to drive a paradigm shift in the future outlook of the region.

Key Discussion Areas  and  Takeaways:

Target Audience: Executives of financial services providers and members of financial services supervisory bodies.

Key Areas and Takeaways:

The session will focus on

• Benefits of digital transformation for financial organizations. Why a Digital Strategy is an essential starting point for achieving sustainable results.
• Open banking and digital transformation. How Open banking can boost the digital transformation agenda and stimulate new business models in the financial sector.
• Successful digital transformation and open banking journeys. How the IFC and the World Bank Group can support the financial sector (public and private organizations) in accelerating its digital transformation

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways

The presentation will examine

• Food and Nutrition Security in OECS: Challenges and opportunities  
• Developing resilient and nutrition-sensitive value chains for food and nutrition security
• Capacity and partnership building to meet OECS development challenges
• Knowledge sharing, stakeholder engagement, and network building
• Regional, and international collaboration to advance sustainable approaches to food and nutrition security in OECS

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways

The session will

• Introduce Helen’s Daughters
• Highlighting gender inequities in the agricultural sector
• Designing gender-sensitive interventions: Case Study of Helen’s Daughters Virtual ‘Ag-cademy’
• Impact of women in the agricultural sector
• Lessons Learnt

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways

The presentation will explore the concepts below within a Caribbean context.

• Definition of food Security and Food Insecurity
• Methods to Measure Food Security
• Advantages and Disadvantages of each method
• Major Indicators of Food Security

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways

• Food and Nutrition Security Vulnerabilities: COVID-19 impacts and responses
• Transformation of the Food System: priorities for building back better post-COVID-19
• Food System Transformation in the Caribbean: Challenges and Strategic Priorities
• World Bank priorities to support Sustainable Development in the Caribbean

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways

The objective of the Master Class: identify key challenges and opportunities on the use of emerging technologies to make the fisheries value chain more responsive and resilient.
Topics to be addressed: During this session panellists will:

Show case the potential of fisheries trade for the OECS, Provide an overview of the fisheries value chain, Identify key technological challenges and opportunities for making the fisheries value chain more sustainable and competitive Take stock at the value of emerging technologies for more responsive and resilient value chains Discuss key host and home country determinants and incentives for transfer fishing-related technologies

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways

The presentation will examine

• How to effectively build and maintain agriculturally-based economies across the Caribbean,
• a survey of developments impacting arable land, infrastructure, historical, cultural norms and behaviors, energy, water, biodiversity, food storage and transport as well as workforce development and educational opportunities.
• investments in autonomous ‘Smart’ farming, hydroponics, Fifth Generation of Communication (5G), sensor and tracking drone technology, supply chains and market connectivity.

Participants in this Master Class will be able

• to understand what are the elements that affect food security and how they can use emerging technologies to alleviate those issues resulting in new careers, lower unemployment and better quality of life for people in the OECS and other Caribbean regions

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways

• In this masterclass, ecotourism pioneer Samuel Raphael, named Virgin Holiday’s top contributor to responsible tourism, will share the secrets of success from the last two decades of his pioneering work on developing a financially successful replicable community and environmentally friendly tourism model that focuses on the triple bottom line: protecting the environment, promoting health and wellness while providing opportunities for upward mobility for local people. This social entrepreneur is completing the development of his second highly acclaimed eco-resort and spa that can be used as a macro and microeconomic model for policymakers, academics, communities and developers in the post-COVID-19 era. We now have new successful tourism models that the next generation of Caribbean entrepreneurs should embrace to help correct historical inequities in our societies while addressing some of the region’s greatest challenges including climate change. Don’t miss this powerful session.

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways:

The global market for queen conch has been booming in recent years with an estimated export of USD$74 million in 2017. On the other hand, small-scale producers and fishers in the Eastern Caribbean have not been able to fully tap into these opportunities. The newly launched project by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) with support from the European Union aims to address this very problem.

A pilot project, Seizing the trade and business potential of Blue BioTrade in selected OECS countries was launched in October 2020 for Grenada, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent, and the Grenadines. The project will not only empower small-scale producers but also contribute to biodiversity conservation by taking an innovative approach to sustainable trade and investment in marine biological resources under the framework of the 2020 BioTrade Principles and Criteria (P&C).

In recent years’ marine habitats have been under serious threat, caused by numerous factors including climate change and overfishing. Recent reports show that 11% of all marine species assessed in the Caribbean region are threatened with extinction. With the region being one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, this poses a serious threat to the livelihoods of the local population who are dependent on biodiversity for their daily sustenance and income.

Thus, how can the opportunity of the growing demand on queen conch be seized, while ensuring that its ecosystem is not harmed, and biodiversity is conserved?  This masterclass will examine the potential opportunities that a sustainable value chain for the queen conch can offer in the OECS region by looking at the various tools that are used in this program.

In the first half of the session, three panelists will discuss the following topics:

• What is BioTrade and its guidelines under the 2020 BioTrade Principles and Criteria (P&C). How do they apply to marine genetic resources, species and ecosystems?
• How can the new BioTrade assessment-tool help producers to allow their businesses to become more compliant with these guidelines?
• How can the newly launched Blue BioTrade project in OECS can seize the opportunities of trade of queen conch as well as lead to marine biodiversity conservation?
• What is the significance of queen conch as a CITES-listed species and how do non-detriment findings (NDFs) lead to better regulated and sustainable trade?

The latter half of the session will provide participants the opportunity to actively interact with the panelists in a question-and-answer format as well as elaborating on vital issues. If possible, we would like to have a moderator who can sort through the questions for the panelists as we assume there will be many; however, we would be open to your guidance. Some of these topics may include (but are not limited to):

• What challenges do you see for small-scale producers to be able to comply with the BioTrade P&C?
• What are the sustainable trade opportunities you see for marine-based products in the OECS region?
• What are some of the trade barriers that small-scale producers face to export their products in the international market?
• How would the Blue BioTrade project be able to contribute to biodiversity and conservation objectives, while supporting the (economic) livelihoods of local communities?
• How has the challenges of trade increased with the outbreak of the COVID-19 outbreak? What needs to happen in order for effective change to occur?
• Would queen conch being a CITES-listed species be a benefit or a challenge to local producers?

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways:

The session will survey current and future technological developments and the challenges to people across the Caribbean. To date most modifications to plants (genetically modified plants) and livestock have benefitted producers: Disease resistant plants requiring less pesticide and herbicide, enhanced crop yields and longer shelf lives as well as less feed required to produce more meat. However, the cost and need for return on investment has resulted in most of these foodstuffs going to wealthy developed nations while leaving many Caribbean communities with foods of low nutritional value and high glycemic indexes leading to chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer and kidney disease to name a few. Now the confluence of social activism and a new wave of technological innovation is leading to more cost-effective food crops with increased nutritional value, medicinal properties, enhanced taste and aesthetic appeal that can be readily integrated into local food supply chains.

Attendees will gain tangible information regarding the centrality of a stable, secured and accessible food supply across the region, as well as actionable information as to how they can work to better their lives and those of their community.

Key Discussion Areas and Takeaways:

The broadband wired and wireless network is now in its 5^th decade, or what we refer to as 5G (5^th generation). With every decade the network goes through a transformation to deliver higher data rates, driven by the content provision. These 10 fold leaps in speed previously experienced from the 1980s, when this all began, to the 2010s have created enough bandwidth to support the number of devices on the network, as well as the needed speeds to operate mobility devices efficiently. With the explosion, we are now seeing in data in the 2020s, where real-time HD content, the Internet of Things (IoT) and technologies like autonomous driving, have created a landscape for bandwidth greater than 10x that of previous networks. In many cases pushing our next-generation networks to a requirement that is in access of 100x faster than the 4G networks previously. We are now at the cusp of the 5G era, where mmWave frequencies will push active electronics to their limits and materials used will become more and more important to propagate these much higher frequency signals.

Closing Remarks and The Next Steps